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Yet Another Change to East End Streetcar Services

Further to my recent post about planned service changes effective September 3, the TTC has issued a revised set of route arrangements thanks to a change in the schedule for Metrolinx work at Queen & Degrassi.

There will be four stages to the service modifications:

  • Sunday, September 3 to Friday, September 22 at 10 pm
  • Friday, September 22 at 10 pm to Friday, September 29 at 10 pm
  • Friday, September 29 at 10pm to Monday, October 2 at 4 am
  • Monday, October 2 at 4am to Sunday, October 8

October 8 falls on Thanksgiving weekend which is the October TTC schedule change date. Service arrangements beyond that point have not been announced.

The information here is adapted, with corrections, from the TTC’s website Streetcar Service Changes page. As I write this (4:50 pm, August 29), there are several inconsistencies or errors on the TTC’s site. This article is an attempt to consolidate the available information.

The Metrolinx work expected to begin on or shortly after Labour Day weekend has been delayed until later in September. The originally planned diversions have been modified.

Sunday, September 3 to Friday, September 22 at 10 pm

501 Queen

  • Service between Broadview and Neville Loop will be provided by the 505 Dundas car extended from Woodbine Loop which has been its terminus while Broadview Avenue is under construction. Because this extension is not in the published electronic schedules, trip prediction apps will not work east of Woodbine Loop.
  • The 501B Queen bus will continue to operate between Bathurst and Broadview, diverting around the Ontario Line construction.
  • The 501 Queen streetcar will no longer operate via Dundas, McCaul and Broadview and thence east to Neville Loop. All streetcars will run between Sunnyside Loop and McCaul Loop.
  • The 501L Queen bus will continue to operate between Dufferin and Long Branch Loop because work is still not completed west of Sunnyside Loop. It is not yet clear whether trip prediction apps will “see” the 501L buses because this is a last-minute change.

504 King

  • The branch which normally operates to Dufferin Loop will instead continue west to Roncesvalles because of construction at the loop.
  • Service east of the Distillery branch will continue to be provided by the extended 72A Pape bus because Broadview construction north of Gerrard is expected to run into November. A date for resumption of through service on Broadview to Danforth depends on the speed of construction progress.

505 Dundas

  • As noted above, the Dundas car will continue to operate via Broadview and Queen, and will be extended east to Neville Loop.

506 Carlton

  • Service to Main Station will resume, but the western terminus will remain at Dundas West Station.
  • The 506C bus from Castle Frank Station will be discontinued.

Friday, September 22 at 10 pm to Friday, September 29 at 10 pm

Streetcar service east of Broadview on Queen will not be possible due to Metrolinx construction. Queen Street will operate with limited lanes under the GO corridor.

501 Queen

  • The 501D Queen bus service will operate between Church (looping via Church, Richmond and Victoria) and Neville Loop.
  • All other branches of the 501 remain the same (501L and 501B buses, 501 Queen west streetcars).

505 Dundas

  • The 505 Dundas cars will operate to Woodbine Loop via Broadview, Gerrard, Coxwell and Queen.

Friday, September 29 at 10 pm to Monday, October 2 at 4 am

Queen Street will be closed at Degrassi for Metrolinx work.

All bus service on Queen will divert via Broadview, Dundas and Carlaw including routes 501D Queen East, 503 Kingston Road, 72A Pape and 301 Queen Night Bus.

The 505 Dundas cars will continue to operate via Gerrard.

Monday, October 2 at 4 am to Sunday, October 8

Queen Street will reopen and the service will revert to the configuration that was in effect from September 22 to 29. Lane restrictions at the GO corridor will continue.

All bus services will return to Queen Street, and the 505 Dundas will remain on Gerrard.

Routes effective October 8 have not yet been announced.

13 thoughts on “Yet Another Change to East End Streetcar Services”

  1. From the Orange Signage on King St, it appears that King WILL be closed for TIFF (I saw earlier signage saying “Lanes will be closed” but, while cycling today, the sign I quickly saw seemed to say “Street will be Closed”). May as well have total confusion! Naturally, nothing on City’s “Road Closures’ website.

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  2. Does the rebuilding of the Dufferin Loop spell the end of the 2019 ‘plans’ to link the 2 CNE TTC loops across the north side of the CNE?

    Steve: Actually, that plan is held up by the OL and potential conflict between it and the streetcar link. Design work was underway but was halted.

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  3. I missed this aspect of Douggery the first time around.

    So, instead of a sensible first streetcar link to a quiet, fairly cheap western exit from downtown, we will receive some futuristic people mover to a bastardized Ontario Place, or whatever the flavour of the month is in 2050?

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  4. All things considered I’m a bit excited at the prospect of using the resurrected Adelaide and Wellington tracks. In my life time (I think) I’ve never seen Adelaide used. It always sat there in ever increasing states of disrepair. Until one day it became clear that nothing was going to travel there again… (because there was no overhead and chunks of track were paved over. So this is exciting that they will finally be an alternative to King or Queen in the event of a blockage. Is Victoria coming back online too? It would make a lot of sense. So I doubt it.

    Steve: Victoria is online south of Queen, but to the north has been off limits due to various construction projects for years. Hard to say when it might be finally rebuilt (as planned years ago) and operational.

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  5. John N: I feel the same as you regarding the comeback of Adelaide. I was lucky enough to ride it, in Witts, in early 1963.

    On my way to U of T, I would deliberately take a Bathurst car from Bathurst to Yonge. I hadn’t ridden a Witt since 1954 when the Yonge subway opened, so it was a historical thrill for me, 60 years ago.

    In less than a year, I believe all the surviving rush hour Witts were out of service, soon to be followed by the ‘Adelaide car’ itself.

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  6. Have you received the September board period memo yet?

    Steve: No. I expect to receive it on Friday, Sept 1. TTC was still working on it on Aug 31.

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  7. It will be interesting (read: depressing) to review streetcar ridership statistics next year, as even dedicated and alert riders will more and more give up on routes that have become literally unknowable. I pay attention to this stuff and I have a fear of relying on any surface route these days.

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  8. It’s funny – or maybe sad – that for the 22nd-29th period, cars entering from both Leslie and Russell will now deadhead *east* to Coxwell before joining revenue service. With the majority of the fleet based on the east end…it’s less then ideal.

    Steve: Actually it will be from the late evening of the 22nd onward as Queen will not reopen to streetcars for the length of the Metrolinx work. Buses will be able to get through except during the major work that will close the street completely.

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  9. Steve,

    I cannot tell if the streetcar track construction has started on York Street from Queen to Adelaide. This was to be done by Metrolinx.

    Any idea if this will occur?

    Steve: It has not started yet, but, yes Metrolinx is supposed to do this part (tangent rail from Queen to Adelaide). TTC will look after the new special work at Queen (east to south) and at Adelaide (south to east plus diamond crossing of the eastbound tracks). Why this relatively small amount of work is left in Metrolinx’ hands I do not know. I fully expect it will be late as per normal Metrolinx standards.

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  10. Dennon said: “With the majority of the fleet based on the east end…it’s less then ideal.” This is yet another reason why the planned and long-promised QQE line into the PortLands will be useful as, one day, it will be extended (fairly easily apart from a bridge) along Commissioners to Leslie and give another way to reach the Barns. Not I suspect in my lifetime, but one day!

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  11. I was in Toronto Yesterday and the Queen via Dundas car was operation up McCaul along Dundas and down Broadview to Queen then over to Neville Park. The Dundas via Queen was operating to Woodbine loop. Does the TTC know what it is doing?

    Steve: Well, the Queen car is supposed to end at McCaul Loop. Looking at this morning’s tracking data, that’s what it is doing, and similarly yesterday’s data does not show 501 streetcars east of McCaul Loop. I have noticed that some Dundas cars are running using the 501 Queen to Neville signs probably for some sort of consistency for riders.

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  12. Hi Steve,

    Thanks for keeping us informed. Have you received any updates regarding the east end September service after the TTC sent out a notice last Sunday that it was cancelling the proposed 501D/513 replacement buses?

    Steve: I think that notice only refers to the period up to the evening of September 22 when Metrolinx will close Queen Street. At that point, the 501D/513 starts to run and the 505 Dundas cars shift to Gerrard Street.

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  13. I thought Metrolinx might have started their work early because cars were entering service via Coxwell and Gerrard this morning but things look to be running normally for the time being.

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